For Messe Berlin, CMS Berlin 2015 - Cleaning.Management.Services, was an all-round success, which witnessed record exhibitor numbers and visitor attendance, a fantastic atmosphere and outstanding business.

More than 20,000 representatives attended the exhibition, including some 17,000 trade visitors (2013: 16,200) from 66 countries (2013: 65). They came to glean information from the manufacturers of cleaning machines and equipment as well as cleaning, disinfecting and care products. Senior decision-makers were able to meet their customers and establish new business ties.

Over the four days of the event, 377 exhibitors from 22 countries (2013: 361/20) presented a comprehensive overview of the market's products on an area covering 25,400sq.m (2013: 24,700sq.m) inside the halls and on the outdoor display site.

The displays included products, systems and work methods from every branch of the industry, marketing cleaning systems and cleaning agents, including more than 70 exhibits making their first appearance at a trade fair or on the European or world stage. At the 2nd International CMS Congress around 200 experts from all over the world took part in discussions about 'People and the market'.

At CMS 2015 manufacturers presented innovative products, proving they are well equipped to face the market challenges ahead. More and more eco-friendly cleaning agents are being developed. Ecologically safe products for dispelling bad odours also played an important part at this year's show, with natural smells combined with exotic fragrances now proving popular. In the paper and soap dispenser market, manufacturers are currently focusing on elegantly styled designer articles, with sensor-operated devices much in demand for hygienic reasons. According to a recent survey by manufacturers, 92% of restaurant guests expect washrooms to be of at least the same standard as the dining area and 75% of office workers consider the toilets at the workplace to reflect the employer's overall standards.

Good design and functionality have become increasingly important factors for achieving a competitive edge, as was amply demonstrated by the entries at this year's CMS Purus Awards. For designers of cleaning machinery and equipment the focus is also on sustainability and efficiency, in particular where saving energy and making optimum use of cleaning agents is concerned. Furthermore, the performance of the latest products and solutions has improved again, as have their ergonomics and ease of operation. The progressive downsizing of devices means they are now able to access areas that previously could only be cleaned by hand. Thanks to new designs daytime cleaning in noise-sensitive areas is now an important issue. And lastly, new apps make it possible to operate devices in new ways, for instance with a smartphone or tablet PC.

At 92%, the overwhelming majority of exhibitors were extremely satisfied with their participation in CMS 2015. They unanimously praised the high number and quality of trade visitors and business leads. Questioned about the main objectives of their participation, exhibitors mentioned promoting their company and its image, maintaining existing business relations and establishing new contacts with specific customer groups, i.e. members of the building cleaning trade, buyers and retailers. Furthermore, they intended to showcase their innovative products to a wide audience of experts. For the most part these aims were met.

Although the signing of contracts was not the primary purpose of their taking part, 50% of exhibitors achieved sales before the show closed. Overall, almost all exhibitors declared themselves satisfied with their commercial success at the event. Expectations of follow-up business mirrored this view. For over 84% of exhibitors the prospects ranged from 'satisfactory' to 'very good'. Nearly all of them said they would recommend CMS to other companies and at the time of the survey already announced they would take part in the next event.

Trade visitors were extremely satisfied with their visit to the show. An impressive 96% described their business results as positive. In particular, they emphasised the good opportunities for networking with manufacturers. Two-thirds expect these meetings to result in further talks or follow-up business further down the line. There was a noteworthy presence of trade visitors in a decision-making capacity, two-thirds of whom were senior management executives, authorised signatories and heads of department. Some 83% of trade visitors had a significant influence on their companies' purchasing and procurement decisions, while 85% of trade visitors from abroad were from Europe and 15% came from all other parts of the world. The majority of those visiting Berlin were from the Netherlands, Austria, the UK, Spain, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Italy.

An encouraging 93% were very satisfied with the products at the show and 88% praised the innovative products and services. Almost all the trade visitors said they would recommend visiting CMS to their colleagues or business associates and 91% said they would attend the next CMS. Trade visitors gave a positive assessment of the industry's current economic situation (89%) and its future prospects (87%).

Thomas Dietrich, chairman of the Federal Cleaning Trades Association says: "CMS was a splendid event. Once again it showed itself to be a leading European trade show and it set the standards. The exhibition, congress and supporting programme offered numerous highlights and were outstanding both in terms of their professionalism and their international participants. In brief: from the visitors' perspective CMS 2015 was thoroughly convincing and exceeded our expectations."

Markus Asch, chairman of the Trade Association for Cleaning Systems in the VDMA, says: "CMS 2015 was a complete success: The contacts that we made with visitors from all over the world were of a very high quality and we were able to engage in an intensive exchange of ideas and experiences. The congress gave a valuable impetus to our industry, which we will be consistently pursuing. The fair represented an important step in our combined efforts to address our overall objectives, with the aim of ensuring that our customers continue to keenly embrace our solutions in all areas of building cleaning."

Werner Schulze, divisional chairman and member of the board of the IHO, adds: "Our association's view is that CMS 2015 exceeded all expectations. Right from the start visitors thronged to this event, and the decision-makers were of the highest standing. Consequently the technical discussions that were held were of an excellent quality. The mood here was excellent, and I personally have never experienced a better CMS."

The next CMS will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds (Berlin ExpoCenter Airport) from 19th to 22nd September 2017. Parallel with the show, the World Congress of the World Federation of Building Service Contractors (WFBSC) will be taking place and for the first time gathering international industry decision-makers in Berlin.